Hello, my name is Jenn, and I’m a lifelong sugar addict. I’m a full-time working wife and mom to a 5 year old daughter. The list of physical and mental health issues I’ve experienced throughout my life is a mile long.
At 44, I weighed 317, was on at least 9 different prescriptions, constantly exhausted, and beyond frustrated that – no matter how many doctors I saw, how many tests they ran, how thorough and transparent I was about the symptoms I was experiencing – nobody could “fix” me. I felt like I was failing as a wife, mom, friend, family member…just generally as a human being.
At the end of my “hope rope,” I decided to see a weight loss doctor. She took some measurements, gave me several pages of nutrition information, a prescription for Wegovy, and sent me on my merry way. I started the weekly injections, walked on all of my breaks at work, generally ate healthier and ate a lot less, and dropped over 50 lbs.
I learned that – as a late-diagnosed ADHDer (a story for a different blog) – a big part of my sugar and food addiction was due to how my brain is wired. It wants dopamine, and it wants it NOW, and sugar is a quick and easily available source. For the first time in my life, I stopped beating up on myself for my weight. I understood that I still had to make healthier decisions, but now I knew it wasn’t entirely my fault that I had such a difficult time doing that. But then, I got stuck.
I hit the dreaded weight loss plateau around Thanksgiving 2023, and by my 45th birthday in February 2024, I had put a few pounds back on. I knew I needed to slam on the breaks and get back on track, but how? The answer to my prayers found me by chance, in the form of Roxana Cooley and https://foodasmedicinecoach.com/. (I’m not advertising for her or selling anything – just telling you who started me on my journey). I won a 10-Day Total Body Detox with her, and everything started to change.
I received the info packet and read it, and I thought, “WOW. This is a LOT of change. Can I really do this?” I thought about it and talked it over with my hubby before I not only decided to do it, but I became determined to succeed. 10 days of no sugar, grains, caffeine, red meat, alcohol, or processed foods of any kind. No meat at all the first 2 days, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, organic whenever possible, raw whenever possible. There are more rules about when to eat, having fermented food and gelatinous food (like chia seeds) a few times a week. It was all planned out for me, with shopping lists, recipes, daily checklists, and calendars. And lots of water and daily exercise, of course.
What made this different from any other detox I’ve ever tried? 3 things – 1. daily journaling, prayer, and meditation were all part of the schedule, 2. I was to do positive affirmations every morning, and 3. I wasn’t just accountable to Roxana; she was so positive, encouraging and cheering me on throughout the entire detox.
Results? I lost 6.8 lbs over the 10 detox days. I was finally over that plateau and headed in the right direction, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. I was visibly less bloated. My skin was clearer, eyes brighter. I was sleeping better and had more energy. The biggest surprise of all? My mood! I was level and able to maintain my calm. No more crazy mood swings.
These changes got me thinking – could there be more to this than just weight loss? Could maintaining these changes, or at least most of them, be the key to living my best life? I came this far… maybe I can keep going.
Jenn's Journey 